We are intensely desirous of a revival of religion, and we look for it through some extraordinary agency.
God works in this way sometimes; but while waiting for it we miss actual opportunities, Our proper course is to do what we can and God will be sure to bless it.
I. THE MISSIONARY DISCIPLE.
1. His character.
(1) He was a sincere follower of Jesus. Men who have not made Christ’s acquaintance experimentally are not fit to work for Him. An unconverted man in the pulpit is an impostor and exposes himself to extraordinary peril.
(2) He was a young convert. He beheld the Lamb of God one day and found out his brother the next. Those who have learned but their A B C let them tell that.
(3) He was a commonplace disciple, yet he became a useful minister. So servants of Christ must not excuse themselves because they are not greatly gifted.
2. His manner was
(1) Prompt,
(2) Persevering.
II. HIS GREAT OBJECT,
1. To bring Peter to Jesus. This should be our aim
(1) Not to a party. To recruit one regiment from another is no real strengthening of the army.
(2) Not to bring men to outward religiousness merely. To make the Sabbath breaker a Sabbath keeper and a Pharisee, to make the prayerless the heartless user of a form of prayer, you but take one poison from him to expose him to another.
(3) Many, alas I are satisfied if they get to the priest, church, sacraments.
2. We may bring men to Jesus
(1) By prayer.
(2) By putting them in the way of being informed about the Gospel.
(3) By our example.
(4) By occasionally, and as opportunity serves, giving a word of importunate entreaty.
III. HIS WISE METHODS.
1. Being zealous he was wise.
(1) He used what ability he had.
(2) He set great store by a single soul.
(3) He did not go far afield to do good. Many Christians do all the good they can five miles away, when the time taken up by going there and back might be well spent in their vineyard at home. Andrew goes to Cappadocia in his after life, but he begins with his brother.
2. How did Andrew persuade Peter?
(1) By narrating his own experience. What you have experienced tell to others.
(2) He put the good news before him in an earnest fashion.
IV. THE SWEET REWARD ANDREW HAD. He won his brother’s soul. In your Sunday-school class or in your home there may be an unconverted Wesley or Whitefield. (C.H. Spurgeon.)
This highest voluntary influence
I. It was BENEFICENT. What a universe of good was involved in the simple act of bringing this man to Jesus!
1. What a service was rendered to Peter! His soul translated into a new world.
2. What a service to the disciples of Christ! The introduction of a frank, generous, bold, inspired nature.
3. What a service to the whole world! God alone knows the good Peter did from Pentecost onwards. All this service must be referred to the simple act of Andrew. From one little act may issue an influence for good that may go on widening and deepening for ages.
II. It was NATURAL. Andrew went to Peter, not as an official, but as a man, a brother. What is wanted to bring men to Christ is
1. Common sense, not learning, genius, culture.
2. Love to Christ. Andrew’s heart was touched and inspired with loving sympathies for Christ. What is wanted in this work is not the influence of the scholar, philosopher, or priest, but of the man. It is the man, not the preacher, who converts. When the man is lost in the preacher his power is gone.
III. It was HONOURABLE. To introduce a man to Christ is to introduce him to one who in philosophy is infinitely greater than Socrates, in wealth infinitely richer than Croesus, in royalty infinitely greater than a Caesar. The work of authors, sages, statesmen, warriors contemptible compared with that of bringing men to Christ.
IV. It was EXEMPLARY.
1. Andrew’s is an example that all can imitate.
2. An example that all should imitate: an universal duty, not binding on any particular class, but pressing on all relations, all social grades, all intellectual types. (D. Thomas, D. D.)
Thou art Simon,… thou shalt be called Cephas
Simon and Peter
Christ changed Simon’s name.
1. As a sign of His authority and of taking entire possession of him, as a king might alter the name of some man whom he had captured.
2. As a promise of transforming power.
3. As a prophecy of his future office and importance in the Church. The Aramaic Cephas is the equivalent of the Greek Peter, “a stone.” The alternation of these names afterwards is indicative of the following lessons.
I. THE DANGER OF THE NEW AND BETTER NATURE FALLING BACK TO THE OLD. Where “Simon” is employed in the Gospels it is suggestive of the apostle’s uninspired and unregenerate humanity.
1. “Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have thee.” There we see the exquisite delicacy with which Christ points the too presumptuous man away from his own fancied strength to the weakness of his humanity.
2. “Simon, sleepest thou?” Where is Peter? He would have kept awake.
3. “The Lord hath appeared unto Simon.” This was from the apostles--all the rest are from Christ--all knew about his fall, that he had ceased to be the rock, and that his precedence and influence were gone.
4. “Simon, son of Jona (same as text), lovest thou Me?” Christ puts the fallen apostle in his place, makes him go back to the very beginning. He must go through the wicket-gate again.
II. THE FORGIVING LOVE WHICH DISCERNS THE TRUE MAN BELOW ALL HIS SIN.
1. “Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired … I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow,” etc. Here is Christ’s clear recognition of the better nature subsisting even whilst it appears to be smothered beneath the worse. Condemning the sinner, Christ would not break the bruised reed.
2. “Go, tell the disciples and Peter”--an incident recorded only by Mark, Peter’s mouthpiece. “Tell Simon” would have been a rebuke; “tell Peter” is a smile of forgiveness, and an outstretched hand to grasp the sad hand of the denier.
III. THE GRAND POSSIBILITY THAT THE NEW MAN MAY TRIUMPH. “No more is heard of Simon, with two exceptions.”
1. Cornelius is directed to send for Simon, who is called Peter, because outsiders would know him best by the one name, Christians by the other.
2. James, at the council of Jerusalem, calls him Simon, out of old and familiar friendship. Elsewhere it is always Peter. The transformation had now become complete. Effusive, impulsive daring is changed into steadfast, bridled courage. If once he “was to be blamed,” that showed that he was still a man, and not a faultless, impossible monster. The sand has been put into a hydraulic press and comes out sandstone, strong and tenacious. This transformation is inexplicable without the Resurrection, the Ascension, and Pentecost.
IV. THE WHOLESOME REMEMBRANCE BY THE MAN HIMSELF OF WHAT HE WAS, JOINED WITH THE THANKFUL RECOGNITION OF WHAT HE IS. In his Second Epistle he introduces himself as “Simon Peter.” Probably the long disused name had vanished from the memory of that generation;. but the old man reverts to it. Through the mist of long years he remembers what he was, and recalls his old un-sanctified self; but he is not afraid to call himself Peter. He is conscious of the higher life not his own which was promised him on the never-to-be-forgotten occasion mentioned in the text. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Personal influences
Whitfield made it his wont wherever he stayed to talk to the members of the household about their souls--with each one personally; but stopping at a certain house with a colonel, who was all that could be wished except a Christian, he was so pleased with the hospitality he received, and so charmed with the general character of the good colonel and his wife and daughters, that he did not like to speak to them about decision as he would have done if they had been less amiable characters. He had stopped with them a week, and during the last night the Spirit of God visited him so that he could not sleep. “These people,” said he, “have been very kind to me, and I have not been faithful to them; I must do it before I go; I must tell them that whatever good thing they have, if they do not believe in Jesus they are lost.” He arose and prayed. After praying he still felt contention in his spirit. His old nature said, “I cannot do it,” but the Holy Spirit seemed to say, “Leave them not without warning.” At last he thought of a device, and prayed God to accept it. He wrote upon a diamond-shaped pane of glass in the window with his ring these words, “One thing thou lackest.” He could not bring himself to speak to them, but went his way with many a prayer for their conversion. He had no sooner gone than the woman of the house, who was a great admirer of him, said, “I will go up to his room; I like to look at the very place where the man of God has been:” She went up and noticed on the window-pane those words, “One thing thou lackest.” It struck her with conviction in a moment. “Ah!” said she, “I thought he did not care much about us, for I knew he always pleaded with those with whom he stopped, and when I found that he did not do so with us, I thought we had vexed him, but I see how it was; he was too tender in mind to speak to us.” She called her daughters up. “Look there, girls,” said she, “see what Mr. Whitfield has written on the window, ‘One thing thou lackest.’ Call up your father.” And the father came up and read that too. “One thing thou lackest!” and around the bed whereon the man of God had slept they all knelt down and sought that God would give them the one thing they lacked, and ere they left that chamber they had found that one thing, and the whole household rejoiced in Jesus. (C. H.Spurgeon.)
Personal effort
I recollect several persons joining the Church who traced their conversion to the ministry in the Surrey Music Hall, but who said it was not that alone, but another agency co-operating therewith. They were fresh from the country, and some good man, I knew him well, I think he is in heaven now, met two of them at the gate, spoke to them, said he hoped they had enjoyed what they had heard; heard their answer; asked them if they were coming in the evening; said he would be glad if they would drop into his house to tea; they did, and he had a word with them about the Master. The next Sunday it was the same, and at last, those whom the sermons had not much impressed were brought to hear with other ears, till by-and-by, through the good old man’s persuasive words, and the good Lord’s gracious work, they were converted to God. (C. H.Spurgeon.)
One soul precious
“Oh,” says one, “I have had so little success; I have had only one soul saved!” That is more than you deserve. If I were to fish for a week, and only catch one fish, I should be sorry; but if that happened to be a sturgeon, a royal fish, I should feel that the quality made up for lack of quantity. When you win a soul it is a great prize. One soul brought to Christ--can you estimate its value? If one be saved, you should be grateful to your Lord, and persevere. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The searching question
I shall now put a question which I daresay has passed through your minds before, but which I would like to tarry there. How many, my dear friend, were you ever the means of bringing to Jesus? You believe that they must perish everlastingly, unless they have faith in Christ. How many have you personally prayed for? How many did you ever break your heart about? How many have you ever talked to concerning Him who is the only Saviour? To how many have you borne your testimony of His kindness and His grace? Upon how many have you laid the tender hand to press them to follow after the Saviour? Ah! well, the questions sound so trite as I put them, and perhaps as they come to your ears you are weary with them as being so commonplace; but by the great day of the appearing of our Lord, when He shall require of you an account of your stewardship, I implore you answer those enquiries, even if they humble you in the very dust. If the answer be painful, seek for the future that your course be mended, and as servants of Christ yearn over souls. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Rareness of personal effort for souls
In hundreds of cases I have vat the question pointedly, “Do you know that you have been instrumental in leading one soul to Christ?” only to hear the sad confession that there has been no effort made in that direction. (A. G. Pearson, D. D.)
Individual effort
Do not forget individual souls. There is a great rage nowadays for large congregations and for prominent work; but do not forget individual souls. I think it was Rowland Hill who used to say that if he had a number of bottles before him, and he were to dash water over them, a drop might go into this one and a drop into that; but he said, “If I take one bottle and pour water in I fill it up to the brim.” And so it is with individual souls. There is a personality in the application which cannot be estimated if we are speaking face to face in an honest, manly way. Is not this the best way to do Christian work? (W. P. Lockhart.)
How to win souls
I come from a house from which there is a considerable contingent attending this service this morning, and the question last night was how we should be awakened in time. They resolved to do it by detachments. One young fellow woke up the servant, and some others woke the young ladies, and they each had some one under their care, and knocked at the door until they were answered. It was best done by dividing it, and by giving to each one a special department in the work. And so we do cur work best by dealing with individual men. (W. P.Lockhart.)
The great secret of the success of Harlan Page was that he always aimed at the conversion of some individual; wrestling in prayer with God, and in affectionate entreaty with the sinner, till he saw his wishes realized. By following this plan, although he was in humble life, active work, and often in deep poverty, he lived to see more than a hundred brought to God as the fruit of his zeal and intercession.
Example brings men to Jesus
The Rev. J. A. James, the well-known minister of Birmingham, says, in one of his lectures: “If the present lecturer has a right to consider himself a real Christian, if he has been of any service to his fellow-creatures, and has attained to any usefulness in the Church of Christ, he owes it, in the way of means and instrumentality, to the sight of a companion, who slept in the same room with him, bending his knees in prayer on retiring to rest. That scene so unostentatious, and yet so unconcealed, roused my slumbering conscience, and sent an arrow to my heart; for, though I had been religiously educated, I had restrained prayer, and cast off the fear of God. My conversion to God followed, and soon afterwards my entrance upon college studies for the work of the ministry. Nearly half a century has rolled away since then, with all its multitudinous events; but that little chamber, that humble couch, that praying youth, are still present to my imagination, and will never be forgotten, even amidst the splendour of heaven and through the ages of eternity.”
